World’s Largest Breasts

Summary: The world is enchanted by world records. Maybe it’s partly human nature, but we like to see how far we can go, we like to push the envelope. So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that a woman in Germany—apparently—has recorded the world record for the largest breasts. That’s right—a woman named Beshine has the world’s largest breasts. They’re not natural, of course, and they come in weighing something like twenty pounds each (at that rate, she may have to fly stateside and get consult with, say, some Minneapolis breast reduction surgeons —though, now that I think about it, qualified surgeons may reside in Germany as well). They’re heavy, and they’ll have consequences—but to what degree should we judge Beshine?

A New World Record Holder

For whatever reason, people have always been impressed by world records. In a way it makes sense: a world speed record, for example, proves that you are the fastest runner (at least, for a particular distance). But then there are some world records that don’t make a lot of sense—world’s largest toy collection, for example. Or, world record for eating Nacho Cheese Doritos, to name another example. Nothing against either one of those achievements—it just strikes me as odd that not only do people brag about such things, but they also seek out and value world records like those. I bring up world records because there’s news out of Germany of a woman who has the world’s largest breasts—and therefore, holds that world record.

These blogs are a judgment free zone, so it’s not necessarily in that light that we want to discuss Beshine’s twenty pound breasts—that is, twenty pounds each. According to her Twitter account, Beshine, the woman in question, seems to live a relatively normal life and accomplishes many every-day tasks. She goes to the gym and exercises. She goes to the grocery store. It seems to work for her—so we’re not really in a position to question her decisions. As with all of us, she’s free to live her life as she will. However, at a combined weight of 40 pounds, we do see some complications in her future.

The Downsides of Overly Large Breasts

First of all, there’s the weight. We know that larger breasts tend to put a toll on a body over time—we only have to look at the number of breast reductions performed every year to realize that. This can mean back and neck pain that builds and gains in severity over time. Breast reductions are performed to alleviate this pain, and is one of the most successful (when measured in satisfaction of the patient) procedures that plastic surgeons perform. According to the website of the Minneapolis breast reduction surgeons at Minneapolis Plastic Surgery, most women who undergo a breast reduction also end up signing up for a breast lift procedure.

Of course, by definition, the breast reduction is a much more regular procedure—by that I mean that it’s simply a much more common procedure. Beshine’s breast augmentation was certainly not a common procedure. And that raises an interesting question—how far should plastic surgery generally go. I brought up breast reduction simply because it’s a normal procedure that some people (mostly men) find odd—doesn’t everyone want larger breasts after all? Of course, the reality is that no, not everyone wants larger breasts, many people want smaller breasts. So while a procedure such as a breast reduction might seem a bit outlandish, it certainly helps people live their lives a bit more fully.

Plastic Surgery and Judgement

So, we shouldn’t be too quick to judge breast implants that weigh 20 pounds each. By that I mean, just because a procedure doesn’t sound relevant to us doesn’t mean it’s going to be relevant to everybody. But is there a point where plastic surgery goes a bit too far? The internet is certainly replete with men and women, for example, who pay a ton of money for procedures that make them look like celebrities. Is this going too far? Or is it going less far than, say, a massive breast augmentation and world record breasts? It’s an interesting question, and I’m not sure it’s one that I have an answer to.

We can start simply by examining how useful and how valuable these procedures are to those involved—or whether they interfere with the basic functioning of their lives.

And yet, there are certainly times when plastic surgery might go over the line. Last year, there was a great hubbub because a woman claimed to have had a third breast surgically…I guess, implanted is the word…between her healthy two other breasts. Of course, this turned out basically to be a hoax. Before the hoax was revealed to the world, plastic surgeons lined up to discuss—quite rightly—that this type of surgery would be unethical and that no plastic surgeon would perform it. I tend to agree with their assessment—however, where is the line between three breasts and the huge, oversized breasts of Beshine?

How Far is Too Far?

My guess is that the answer lies somewhere in a gray area between exaggerating the human body and changing the basic structure of the human body. Beshine’s surgery likely involved adding progressively larger implants over time—and to do that, there would have to have been multiple operations and so on. But creating an entirely new breast requires muscle reconstruction that is hard on the body—and is usually reserved only for patients of breast cancer. Changing the body in such a way probably would not be seen as ethical.

My overall point, I suppose, is that we should refrain from treating Beshine like some kind of freak just because she has the overly large breasts. Sure, she’s doing her best to cash in on her assets—and she can hardly be blamed for that (we all have retirement to think about). But she’s still a real person who had a real operation and the real results seem to work pretty well for her real life. In other words, you could easily argue that Beshine is, after everything, her real self.